Smart patch for monitoring health metrics

ABSTRACT

A smart patch includes a computing device to monitor user health metrics. The smart patch also includes an adhesive coupled to a cradle with an opening and coupled to at least two electrodes capable of electrically coupling to the user. The computing device contains one or more sensors, a battery and a sensor window. The sensors are configured to interface with the user to generate physiological data associated with the user&#39;s health. The battery is configured to power the sensors. The computing device is removably coupled to the cradle. The cradle is configured to engage the computing device securing the computing device to the adhesive. The electrodes electrically couple to the user&#39;s skin and conduct electrical signals between the user and the computing device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/103,666, filed Nov. 24, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/663,915, filed Oct. 25, 2019, each of which ishereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to monitoring health metrics of a userand more specifically to systems, methods, and devices that integrate aplurality of sensors in a compact form factor to capture measurementsfor determining health of the user.

BACKGROUND

Wearable devices are becoming ubiquitous in society. These devices areworn on the human body and are designed to measure one or moreparameters. Smartwatches and smart patches are examples of wearabledevices that can have multiple sensors and that can pair to asmartphone. Smartwatches can provide estimates of activity level of ahuman in the form of number of steps the human takes per day.Smartwatches can provide a heart rate of the human, a location of thehuman, and so on. Smart patches and smartwatches can have similarfunctionality, but a smart patch can be provided without a display.Unlike smartwatches which can be removed anytime by unbuckling a strapor stretching an elastic band, smart patches typically attach to theuser via some adhesive. Removing a smart patch can be uncomfortable forthe user and can lead to damaging the device.

SUMMARY

Some implementations of the present disclosure provide an electronicdevice for measuring health metrics of a user. The electronic deviceincludes: a housing including a housing window; one or more sensorsprovided within the housing, the one or more sensors configured tointerface with the user to generate physiological data associated withthe health metrics of the user; a battery provided within the housing,the battery configured to power the one or more sensors; and a baseremovably coupled to the housing, the base including an inner surface,an outer surface, and a base window. The inner surface of the base isconfigured to engage the housing and secure the housing to the base,wherein when the housing is secured to the base, the base windowoverlaps the housing window such that the one or more sensors interfacewith the user via the base window and the housing window. The electronicdevice further includes a set of electrodes removably coupled to thebase such that when the housing is secured to the base, the set ofelectrodes is configured to conduct electrical signals of the housingacross the base, facilitating movement of the electrical signals throughthe base, between the inner surface of the base and the outer surface ofthe base.

The foregoing and additional aspects and implementations of the presentdisclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art inview of the detailed description of various embodiments and/orimplementations, which is made with reference to the drawings, a briefdescription of which is provided next.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other advantages of the present disclosure will becomeapparent upon reading the following detailed description and uponreference to the drawings.

FIG. 1A illustrates an electronic device for monitoring health metricsof a user, according to some implementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B illustrates a body of the electronic device of FIG. 1A separatedfrom a base of the electronic device, according to some implementationsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A illustrates an interior of the body of the electronic device ofFIG. 1A, according to some implementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2B illustrates an arrangement of the interior of FIG. 2A, accordingto some implementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a sensor board for the electronic device of FIG. 1A,according to some implementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4A illustrates components in the electronic device of FIG. 1A,according to some implementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4B illustrates the components in FIG. 4A from another perspective;

FIG. 5A illustrates the body of the electronic device of FIG. 1Aseparated from a charging station, according to some implementations ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 5B illustrates an interior of the charging station when coupled tothe body of the electronic device of FIG. 1A, according to someimplementations of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a system for monitoring health metrics ofthe user, according to some implementations of the present disclosure.

While the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific implementations have been shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. Itshould be understood, however, that the present disclosure is notintended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, thepresent disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, andalternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an electronic device tomeasure one or more health metrics of a user. The electronic device canobtain the measurements in an unintrusive manner. The electronic devicecan perform both contact and non-contact measurements. The non-contactmeasurements can be achieved via electromagnetic signaling. The contactmeasurements can be achieved via electrodes removably coupled to theelectronic device. In some embodiments, the electronic device has asmall form factor with a long battery life. In some embodiments, theelectronic device can be modified to perform invasive measurements.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an electronic device thatcan attach to a user with an adhesive holding electrodes of theelectronic device in place. The adhesive electrodes are separable froman electronics compartment of the electronic device such that a batteryin the electronics compartment can be charged while the adhesiveelectrodes are still attached to the user. A configuration as such canprovide several advantages over conventional devices. For example, theelectronics compartment can be removed to charge the battery withouthaving to disturb the adhesive holding the electrodes in place on theskin of the user. This way, frequent and multiple charges can beperformed without having to remove and re-attach the adhesiveelectrodes.

Adhesive electrode waste is reduced compared to conventional devices.For example, a smart patch with adhesive electrodes should bere-attached to the user with an adhesive if removed for charging.Conventional smart patches typically involve removing the adhesiveelectrode when removing a smart patch device and then re-attaching thesmart patch device. The process of removing an adhesive electrode candamage the adhesive electrode. Depending on the number of chargingevents, new adhesive electrodes may be required for each re-attachment.Costs associated with new adhesive electrodes can thus add up.

Furthermore, detaching and reattaching adhesive electrodes on the skinof the user can adversely affect quality of skin around where the smartpatch is placed. More skin cells than usual may be lost. Plus, the skincan become sensitive after each removal of an adhesive electrode, makingthe removal and re-attachment of the smart patch an uncomfortable eventfor the user. As such, embodiments of the present disclosure provide asystem and method for charging an electronic device without having todetach adhesive electrodes of the electronic device from the user. Anadvantage to having the adhesive electrodes in one position is that oncethe electronic device is reattached to the electrodes, the electronicdevice is configured to make measurements at the exact same location. Assuch, the effect of noise relating to minor location changes is reduced.

Referring to FIG. 1A, an electronic device 100 for monitoring healthmetrics of a user is illustrated according to some implementations ofthe present disclosure. The electronic device 100 includes a body 102, abase 104, one or more electrodes 106 a, 106 b . . . , and an adhesive108 for holding the electrodes 106 in place. The body 102 includeselectronic components encased in a housing. The body 102 is removablycoupled to the base 104. The base 104 can receive the body 102, allowingthe body 102 to pressure fit snugly in the base 104. The body 102 caninclude a logo 103. The logo 103 can include one or more LED lights. Thelogo 103 can include a frosted and/or opaque material like plastic,crystal glass, etc., which is backlit with LED lights to give atranslucent appearance.

FIG. 1B illustrates the body 102 of the electronic device 100 separatedfrom the base 104 of the electronic device 100. The base 104 is shown tohave an inner surface 112 with a concave-in contour for receiving thebody 102. The base 104 can include one or more cutouts or recededsidewalk 114 to facilitate removing or decoupling the body 102 from thebase 104. The base 104 is configured to hold the body 102 in place whenthe body 102 is coupled to the base 104. The base 104 can hold the body102 in place via a friction force created between the inner surface 112and the housing of the body 102 when the body 102 is coupled to the base104 as depicted in FIG. 1A. The housing of the body 102 can have apressure fit with the base 104, holding the body 102 in place. Withminimal modification, the body 102 can be secured to the base 104 usingother methods.

In some implementations, the body 102 and the base 104 can include alatch for securing the body 102 to the base 104. For example, an outersurface 116 of the base 104 can include a recess (or catch) forreceiving a lever or an arm attached to the body 102. In anotherexample, the body 102 can include one or more protruding portions, andthe inner surface 112 can include one or more recesses for catching theprotruding portions of the body 102. These methods of securing the body102 to the base 104 are non-limiting and are merely provided asexamples.

The base 104 is further configured to provide an opening such that anelectrode end 110 a of the electrode 106 a and an electrode end 110 b ofelectrode 106 b is accessible via the inner surface 112 of the base 104.Two electrodes 106 a and 106 b are shown as examples in FIGS. 1A-1B, butmore than two electrodes can be coupled to the base 104. The electrodes106 can be positioned on the adhesive 108. The adhesive 108 can securethe electrodes 106 in place on a skin of the user. In someimplementations, the adhesive 108 can also secure the base 104 to theelectrodes 106.

In some implementations, the electrodes 106 provided in the adhesive 108have a male or female gender to them. Such that, complementary genderedelectrodes are provided on a bottom of the base 104. That way, theadhesive 108 holds the male and/or female gendered electrodes to theskin of the user, and when the base 104 is coupled to the electrodes,the complementary gendered electrodes interface with the male and/orfemale gendered electrodes. The complementary gendered electrodes cansnap onto the male and/or female gendered electrodes, securing the base104 to the adhesive 108. Examples of gendered electrodes includeadhesive button electrodes, electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes, or anyother adhesive electrode with a snap fastener.

Although one adhesive layer (the adhesive 108) is described, in someimplementations, more than one adhesive layer can be used. For example,one adhesive layer can include one electrode, such that a number ofadhesive layers correspond to a number of electrodes. In someimplementations, more than one electrode can share an adhesive layer butnot all electrodes share a same adhesive layer.

Although adhesives are described to keep the electrodes 106 on the skinof the user, other methods of keeping the electrodes 106 and theelectronic device 100 on the user are envisioned. For example, dependingon where the user wears the electronic device 100, a band can beprovided such that the electronic device 100 is held in place by theband. The band can be a chest band.

Although the base 104 is included in the electronic device 100 asdepicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B, in some implementations, the base 104 isnot included. For example, the adhesive 108 with the electrodes 106 canbe configured to mechanically hold the body 102 in place on the skin ofthe user while also electrically connecting the electrodes 106 toelectronic components in the body 102. Methods of holding the body 102in place can include using complementary electrodes as previouslydiscussed in connection to securing the base 104 to the adhesive 108 andthe electrodes 106. Gendered electrodes can be provided as theelectrodes 106 and complementary gendered electrodes can be provided onthe body 102. Such that, the complementary gendered electrodes on thebody 102 snap onto the gendered electrodes provided on the adhesivelayer.

Referring to FIG. 2A, an interior of the body 102 of the electronicdevice 100 of FIG. 1A is illustrated according to some implementationsof the present disclosure. The housing of the body 102 is shown toinclude two portions, a top housing portion 202 and a bottom housingportion 204. The top housing portion 202 is configured to serve as acovering while the bottom housing portion 204 is configured to holdelectronic components of the body 102. The bottom housing portion 204can include a main printed circuit board (PCB) 206 and a mechanicalholder 208 for preventing the main PCB 206 from moving. The bottomhousing portion 204 can also include a flexible PCB connector 210 forconnecting the main PCB 206 to other electronic components within thebody 102. The bottom housing portion 204 can further include one or morebottom guides 212 for keeping the electronic components in the body 102from moving laterally within the body 102. The one or more bottom guides212 can match one or more top guides (not shown) for aligning the tophousing portion 202 with the bottom housing portion 204.

FIG. 2B illustrates an arrangement of the interior of FIG. 2A when thebody 102 is coupled to the base 104, according to some implementationsof the present disclosure. In some implementations, multiple printedcircuit boards (PCBs) can be provided in the body 102 according to aform factor of the body 102. The multiple PCBs allow for verticallystacking the PCBs to conserve space and reduce wiring costs whencompared to using one PCB. The main PCB 206 can include one or moreprocessors, memory, filters, etc. The one or more processors can includemulticore processors, graphics processing units (GPUs), artificialintelligence (AI) accelerator chips, neural processors, etc. A sensorPCB 214 can be provided that includes sensors, analog to digitalconverters, digital to analog converters, memory, etc. A battery 216 canbe provided to power the multiple PCBs.

At the bottom of the body 102, a housing window material 220 can beprovided to protect the body 102 from outside contaminants as well asprovide a clear path for optical sensors, imaging sensors, thermalimaging sensors, laser sensors or other sensors performing non-contactmeasurements on the skin of the user. The imaging sensors can provide animage of the skin of the user, and the thermal imaging sensors canprovide a thermal image of the skin of the user. Metal connectors 218are provided to facilitate connection of the electrodes 106 to thesensor PCB 214.

FIG. 3 illustrates a bottom side of the sensor board 214 of theelectronic device 100 depicted in FIG. 1A, according to someimplementations of the present disclosure. The sensor board 214 caninclude one or more emitters, for example, one or more light emittingdiodes (LEDs). The one or more LEDs can be different LEDs, for example,the sensor board 214 provides a red LED 304 and an infrared LED 302. Thered LED 304 can emit light in a wavelength range between 600 nm and 750nm, for example, at about 650 nm wavelength. The infrared LED 302 canemit light in a wavelength range between 850 nm and 1000 nm, forexample, at about 940 nm wavelength. The sensor board 214 can includeone or more photodetectors, for example, photodiodes 308. Thephotodiodes 308 can measure both red and infrared light. The photodiodes308 can be arranged around a center as shown in FIG. 3. The photodiodes308 can be arranged around the red LED 304 and the infrared LED 302. Thecombination of the one or more emitters and the one or morephotodetectors can be used as an optical array measurement system.Arranging the photodiodes 308 around the center can introduce redundancythat minimizes effects of noise attributed to the skin of the usermoving, a heart of the user moving, and so on. In an example, arrangingoptical sensor arrays around a center can improve robustness of oxygenlevel sensor values obtained via the photodetectors and the emitters.Although the photodiodes 308 are arranged around the center, otherphotodiode arrangements are within the scope of the present disclosure.

The sensor board 214 can include one or more charging pads 310. The oneor more charging pads 310 are configured to conduct charge for charginga battery connected to the sensor board 214, for example, the battery216 of FIG. 2B. The charging pads 310 can be made of copper.

The sensor board 214 can include one or more electrode pads 306 forfacilitating sending and receiving signals from electrodes, for example,the electrodes 106 of FIG. 1A. Although two electrode pads 306 aredepicted in FIG. 3, the number of electrode pads 306 can vary based on anumber of the electrodes 106.

The sensor board 214 can include a temperature sensor 314. Thetemperature sensor 314 can be a contactless temperature sensorconfigured to obtain temperature of the user without contacting a bodypart of the user. The sensor board 214 can include one or moreconnecting pads for connecting the sensor board 214 to other PCBs in theelectronic device 100.

FIG. 4A illustrates components in the electronic device 100 of FIG. 1A,according to some implementations of the present disclosure. Theelectronic device 100 includes the top housing portion 202 and thebottom housing portion 204. Enclosed within the top housing portion 202and the bottom housing portion 204 are the main PCB 206, the holder 208,the flexible PCB connector 210, the battery 216, and the sensor board214. The bottom housing portion 204 can include one or more housingopenings, for example, the housing openings 408, and/or one or morehousing windows, for example, the housing window 410.

The housing window material 220 is engineered to cover the housingwindow 410. The housing window material 220 protects the electroniccomponents of the body 102 from outside elements, for example, liquid,dust, and/or other particles. The housing window material 220 preventsthese outside elements from entering the body 102 via the housing window410. The housing window material 220 can be a translucent materialincluding plastic, sapphire crystals, mineral crystals, plexiglass,hesalite crystals, glass, etc. Although the housing window material 220and the housing window 410 are shown to have a circular shape, othershapes can be used. For example, the housing window material 220 and thehousing window 410 can be shaped as a square, a rectangular, a polygon,etc.

The housing window 410 is provided as an example, but more than onehousing window can be provided. For example, the electronic device 100can have as many housing windows as a total number of photodetectors andlight emitters. In another example, the electronic device 100 can haveas many housing windows as a total number of line of sight sensors, forexample optical sensors, imaging sensors, thermal imaging sensors, lasersensors, etc. Each respective photodetector and/or light emitters canhave a dedicated housing window or can share a housing window withanother photodetector and/or light emitter. For example, two lightemitters can share a housing window, two photodetectors share anotherhousing window, three photodetectors share yet another housing window,and one photodetector has its dedicated housing window. A housing windowmaterial can be provided for all housing windows of the bottom housingportion 204.

The housing openings 408, different from the housing window 410, areconfigured to allow electrical connections to the sensor board 214 fromcomponents outside the body 102. The housing openings 408 can take theshape of one or more metal connectors 218 that interface with thehousing opening 408. The one or more metal connectors 218 are designedto plug the housing openings 408 such that the housing openings 408 aresealed when the body 102 is coupled to the base 104 as depicted in FIG.1A. In some implementations, when in the configuration as depicted inFIG. 1A, the electronic device 100 is waterproof.

In some implementations, the base 104 includes a base window 412. Thebase window 412 is shown as substantially circular, but other shapes canbe envisioned. Unlike the housing window 410, the base window 412 is notfilled with any material and is just an opening that substantiallymatches the housing window 410 on the body 102. When the body 102 iscoupled to the base 104, the housing window 410 and the base window 412are aligned such that sensors on the sensor board 214 can send lightfrom the sensor board 214 to the base window 412 via the housing window410, and the sensors on the sensor board 214 can receive light from thebase window 412 via the housing window 410.

In some implementations, the base 104 includes one or more electrodeopenings 414 for receiving the electrodes 106. The electrode openings414 can have a shape that substantially matches the one or more metalconnectors 218. The electrode openings 414 can also have a shape thatsubstantially matches the electrode ends 110 of the electrodes 106.

In some implementations, one or more metal connectors 218 are configuredto receive the electrode ends 110. The electrode ends 110 protrude fromthe one or more electrode openings 414, and the one or more metalconnectors 218 snap onto the electrode ends 110. When snapped onto theelectrode ends 110, the one or more metal connectors 218 have anelectrical connection to the electrodes 106. When snapped onto theelectrode ends 110, the one or more metal connectors 218 hold the base104 in place between the electrodes 106 and the one or more metalconnectors 218.

In some implementations, the one or more metal connectors 218 areconfigured to be inserted in the one or more electrode openings 414 inthe base 104 (from the inner surface of the base 104). When inserted,the one or more metal connectors 218 make contact with the electrodeends 110 inserted from the outer surface of the base 104. The one ormore metal connectors 218 and the electrode ends 110 are designed to fitsnugly into the one or more electrode openings 414.

In some implementations, the adhesive 108 not only supports and securesthe electrodes 106 on the user's skin, but a top layer of the adhesive108 contacting the base 104 can removably attach to the outer surface ofthe base 104. The base 104 can be designed to plug in and out the body102 and send ECG electrical signals to the sensor board 214 of the body102. The base 104 can be designed to replace the adhesive electrodes 106easily if the adhesive electrode 106 is broken or old.

FIG. 4B illustrates the components in FIG. 4A from another perspective.In FIG. 4B, a two electrode configuration can be used for ECGmeasurements. For example, electrode sitting at position 404 above theadhesive 108 can represent an LA terminal for ECG measurements, andelectrode sitting at position 406 above the adhesive 108 can representthe RA terminal. Also in FIG. 4B, one or more charging ports 402 areprovided for interfacing the body 102 to a charging station. FIG. 5Aillustrates a system 500 including the body 102 of the electronic device100 of FIG. 1A separated from a charging station 502, according to someimplementations of the present disclosure. The charging station 502 isconfigured to receive the body 102 similar to the base 104 in FIGS. 1Aand 1B. The charging station 502 can have a charging cable 504 such thatwhen the body 102 is cradled in the charging station 502, the chargingcable 504 connects the body 102 to a power supply (not shown). In someimplementations, the charging cable 504 connects the body 102 directlyto a computer or other electronic device to also enable data transferfrom the body 102 to the computer. In some implementations, the chargingcable 504 is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable or a USB-C cable. Thecharging cable 504 can connect the body 102 to a computer's USB port toenable charging.

FIG. 5B illustrates an interior of the charging station 502 when coupledto the body 102 of the electronic device 100 of FIG. 1A, according tosome implementations of the present disclosure. The charging station 502is shown to include a charging PCB 506 with one or more terminals 508that interface with the one or more charging ports 402 on the body 102.FIG. 5B illustrates an example of wired charging, but in someimplementations, the charging station 502 can wirelessly charge thebattery 216 included in the body 102. That is, instead of having the oneor more terminals 508, the charging PCB 506 can include one or morecoils for creating a changing magnetic field for charging the battery216. The body 102 can include on any of the main PCB 206, the sensorboard 214, or any other PCB, a coil for sensing the changing magneticfield to induce a current for charging the battery 216. Near fieldcommunication (NFC), inductive charging, or other wireless chargingmethods can be integrated with the charging station 502 and theelectronic device 100.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a system 600 for monitoring health metricsof a user, according to some implementations of the present disclosure.The system 600 includes an electronic device 610, a mobile device 630, acomputer device 640, and/or a remote server 650. The electronic device610 is similar to or the same as the electronic device 100 discussed inconnection to some implementations of the present disclosure. Theelectronic device 610 can interface with the mobile device 630 and/orthe computer device 640. The mobile device 640 and/or the computerdevice 640 can interface with the remote server 650. To simplifydiscussion, the singular form will be used for all components identifiedin FIG. 6 when appropriate, but the use of the singular does not limitthe discussion to only one of each such component.

The electronic device 610 can include a power supply 612. The powersupply 612 includes a battery (e.g., the battery 216) and circuitry thatinterfaces the battery with the other components of the electronicdevice 610. An example of the battery is a 3.7V, 500 mAh lithium polymer(LiPo) battery.

The electronic device 610 can include a sensor 618. As indicated abovewith respect to components in FIG. 6, the sensor 618 can be one or moresensors. The sensor 618 can include a temperature sensor, a pulseoximeter, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, a radar sensor,an impedance spectroscopy measurement unit, optical array sensors, aphotoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor, an ECG sensor, a microphone array, acamera, a thermal imaging camera, one or more lasers, ultrasonicvibration sensors, or any combination thereof. The sensor 618 caninclude an inertial measurement unit (IMU) which includes theaccelerometer, the gyroscope, and the magnetometer. The IMU can generatedata for indoor navigation, step counting, walking speed, running speed,sleep monitoring, and motion of the user. The sensor 618 can generatephysiological data including a glucose level of the user, a bloodpressure of the user, a blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) of the user, aheart rate of the user, an ECG waveform of the user, a level of skinmoisture of the user, a humidity level, a temperature of the user, anactivity level of the user, a body position of the user, a bodyorientation of the user, or any combination thereof.

In some implementations, visual indicators can be used for signaling.For example, visual indicators can signal that the electronic device 100is capturing data, battery level of the battery 216 is low, that thereis an issue to troubleshoot, etc. For example, the logo 103 can light upin green color during data capture. The logo 103 can turn red if thebattery is low or if there if some issue to troubleshoot. Although coloris used as an example, the logo 103 can incorporate sequence of flashesand brightness to distinguish between the different signaling.

In some implementations, the sensor 618 senses ECG via electrodes (e.g.,the electrodes 106 of FIG. 1A). The electrodes are stuck to the skin ofthe user with adhesive. In an embodiment, ECG uses three electrodes(left arm LA, right arm RA, and right leg RL), but the electronic device610 can use two electrodes where RA uses one of the electrodes 106 andLA uses the other of the electrodes 106. The sensor 618 can sense PPGusing light emitters (e.g., the red LED 304 and the infrared LED 302 ofFIG. 3) and photodetectors (e.g., the photodiodes 308 of FIG. 3). Thesensor 618 can sense temperature and humidity using a dedicated chip(e.g., the temperature sensor 314 of FIG. 3).

un some implementations of the present disclosure, the electronic device610 can generate data pertaining to one or more skin parametersincluding skin moisture, skin oiliness, skin firmness, or a combinationthereof. Skin moisture can be determined in multiple ways, for example,by using humidity sensors included in the sensor 618 to measure humidityaround the skin, using capacitive sensors included in the sensor 618 todetermine skin capacitance, or a combination thereof. A highercapacitance indicates a higher hydration level of the skin. An opticalarray sensor included in the sensor 618 can use light reflections todetermine skin oiliness where an oilier skin reflects more light than aless oily skin. A mechanically oscillating sensor tip included in thesensor 618 or a body of the electronic device 610 can be used to measureskin. elasticity where a change in frequency of oscillation betweenfree-space oscillation and oscillation when applied to the skin. Thehigher the change in frequency of oscillation, the greater the skinelasticity.

The electronic device 610 can include a processor 614. The processor 614can be one or more microprocessors, one or more microcontroller units,one or more multicore processors, one or more GPUs, one or more AIaccelerator chips, one or more neural processors, or any combinationthereof. The processor 614 is configured to execute instructions storedon the memory 616. The memory 616 acts as a non-transitory computerreadable medium which stored instructions can be executed by theprocessor 614. The memory 616 can reside on one or more PCBs of theelectronic device 610. In some implementations, the memory 616 can store(temporarily and/or permanently) data generated by the sensor 618 of thesystem 600. In some implementations, the memory 616 includesnon-volatile memory, static random access memory (RAM), volatile RAM,electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) memory,flash memory, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, thememory 616 is a removable form of memory (e.g., a memory card).

In some implementations, the memory 616 can store about 1-week data whenhaving the electronic device 610 sense or generate data from the sensor618 every 15 minutes. The memory capacity can be as low as 1344 kbytefor storing week-long data under these parameters. In someimplementations, the memory 616 has a 2 Mbyte capacity. The precedinghardware configuration is provided as an example, but other hardwareconfigurations can be used to allow for longer duration storage at morefrequent sampling intervals.

The processor 614 in cooperation with the memory 616 can process datagenerated by the sensor 618 to obtain ECG waveforms, glucose levels,blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen level, temperature, humidity,or a combination thereof. Blood pressure can be determined from ECGand/or PPG. Heart rate can be determined from the ECG waveform and/orfrom a PPG waveform. Heart rate can also be determined from themicrophone array listening to the user's heartbeat. Glucose level can bedetermined from the ECG waveform using heart rate data. Glucose levelcan also be determined via a radar sensor that emits high-frequencyradio waves to measure electrical variations in blood properties whichcan be analyzed to estimate glucose levels. SpO2 can be determined frominfrared and red PPG waveforms, temperature, and humidity. Alternativemethods for determining glucose, blood pressure, and heart rate existand those listed above are merely examples. Table 1 provides an exampleof sensor values and information that can be gleaned from the sensorvalues according to some implementations of the present disclosure.

The electronic device 610 can include a network interface 620 forcommunicating with the mobile device 630 and/or the computer device 640.The network interface 620 can be a wired interface or a wirelessinterface. For example, the network interface 620 can support Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), cellular networks like 3G, 4G,5G, etc. The electronic device 610 can support subscriber identitymodule (SIM) and/or embedded SIM for use with any of the wired and/orwireless interfaces. The network interface 620 can also include globalpositioning system (GPS) receiver for generating location data of theelectronic device 610. In some implementations, the network interface620 can use wireless technologies supported to allow the processor 614to run an indoor positioning system. For example, the network interface620 with Wi-Fi support can be used for Wi-Fi based positioning systems.In some implementations, the network interface 620 can include anultra-wide band (UWB) chip for precise indoor location positioning formonitoring movement in hospitals, nursing homes, patient homes, offices,etc. In some implementations, the network interface 620 can receive asemantic location of the electronic device 610 based on the generatedlocation data. For example, based on GPS receiver location data, theelectronic device 610 can be determined to be at the Golden State Bridge(semantic location).

In some implementations, the network. interface 620 includes NFC orother wireless technologies for automatic setup and wireless pairing ofthe electronic device 610 with the computer device 640 and/or the mobiledevice 630 (e.g., a smartphone/other device that exchanges settings viaNFC). The network interface 620 with NFC can then be used toautomatically transmit health metrics from the electronic device 610 tothe mobile device 630.

The processor 614 can perform low-level functions of acquiring datagenerated by the sensor 618, uploading the data generated to the remoteserver 650, and locally managing battery power consumption by performingpower management on the electronic device 610 using, for example, wakeand sleep cycles. For example, to extend battery life, the processor 614can use BLE for reducing power consumption during wirelesscommunication, can advertise to other devices a wireless identificationof the electronic device 610 for only a short period of time (e.g., 0.5seconds) before going into low power mode. The processor 614 can turnoff all peripherals and the sensor 618 after measuring physiologicaldata. The processor 614 can have more than one power mode, for example,the processor 614 can have a standard power mode, a low power sleepmode, a stop mode, a standby mode, or any combination thereof. Thestandby mode can exhibit the lowest power consumption.

The processor 614 can employ data compression to reduce memory usage ofthe data generated by the sensor 614. For example, ECG data can containmany data points requiring a large memory space. The processor 614 canemploy discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to filter high frequency valuesso that size of the ECG data can be reduced.

The electronic device 610 can monitor and gather physiological dataindicative of health metrics of the user. The electronic device 610 cansend the physiological data to the mobile device 630 and/or the computerdevice 640. Examples of the mobile device 630 include a smartwatch, atablet, a smartphone, a fitness tracker, a laptop computer, etc.Examples of the computer device 640 include a desktop computer, a smarttelevision, a desktop or laptop of a caregiver separate from the user,etc. The mobile device 630 can relay the physiological data to theremote server 650 for analysis or can analyze some of the physiologicaldata. The mobile device 630 can combine the physiological data withother context data or other sensor data on the mobile device 630 beforeanalyzing or sending to the remote server 650. The remote server 650 canbe a cloud server running one or more applications for supportingfunctionality attributed to the electronic device 610. The mobile device630 can display analysis results for the user.

In some implementations, the remote server 650 is a cloud server thatstores the physiological data in a database (e.g., dynamodb). Thenetwork interface 620 can send the physiological data to the remoteserver 650 in a javaScript Object Notation (JSON) data format. Theremote server 650 can receive the physiological data (e.g., glucoselevel, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen level, temperature, humidity,activity level, etc.) and estimate the health of the user. Thephysiological data can be date or time stamped and can also include oneor more locations where the physiological data was gathered. The remoteserver 650 can receive raw data from the sensor 614 and estimate thehealth of the user. The remote server 650 can combine the raw data fromthe sensor 614 and/or the physiological data from the electronic device610 or the mobile device 630 with patient data in an electronic healthrecord (EHR) of the user to estimate the health of the user.

For example, glucose level history can indicate change of the glucoselevel in the user's blood and enable estimating whether the user is atrisk for diabetes. In some implementations, a diabetes type (e.g., type1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes) or normal state can be indicated by theglucose level. The remote server 650 can use artificial intelligence topredict how much the user's glucose level will change in different timeperiods, for example, how much the user's glucose level will changewithin several hours, within a next day, within several days, etc.

In some embodiments, the artificial intelligence algorithms can run onthe electronic device 610. On-device machine learning models can be usedin combination with the sensor 618 to infer the condition or healthstate of the user of the electronic device 610.

In an embodiment, the artificial intelligence used can include aprobabilistic neural network (PNN). The PNN can be trained using, forexample, three days' worth of data generated by the sensor 618 such thatthe electronic device 610 learns a specific pattern of the user.

The remote server 650 can use blood pressure and heart rate history toestimate heart status of the user. The oxygen level can be used toestimate behavior of the user's lungs, blood flow, and hemoglobin countin the blood. Temperature and humidity measurements can be used toestimate the user's health and also for calibrating the sensor 618.

The remote server 650 can provide feedback based on calculations madefrom the physiological data. For example, if the calculations indicatethat the user's health is in an abnormal state, the remote server 650can send a notification alert to the mobile device 630. The notificationalert can be an alert that pops up on a mobile app running on the mobiledevice 630, an SMS or a push notification to the phone number of themobile device 630, an email opened on the mobile device 630, or anycombination thereof.

In some implementations, the notification alert is sent by the remoteserver 650 to both the user and a caregiver of the user (e.g., a doctor,nurse, physical therapist, trainer, etc.). The user and the caregivercan be provided access to download a report of the user's health data.

TABLE 1 Example sensors with captured data and use of the captured dataNo Sensors Captured Data Data Format Example use of data 1 Temperature/Temperature [Temp1, Hum1], Temperature and humidity of Humidity andhumidity values [Temp2, Hum2], body(chest), used for: (1) body [Temp3,Hum3], temperature values, (2) calibrating . . . other measurements suchas blood pressure, glucose, etc. (3) skin humidity/moisture 2Accelerometer 3 axis accelerometer [accel1 , accel2 . . . ] Accelerationvalues used for values measuring movement of human body and pose anglein order to compensate the signal change based on change of body pose(lying, stand . . . ) 3 Optical Sensor IR (940 nm) and [IR1, RED1],Determining blood oxygen level values Red (650 nm) LED [IR2, RED2],(SPO2), blood pressure, sensor values (ADC) [IR3, RED3], . . .calibration for glucose level 4 ECG Sensor ADC values from [ADC1, ADC2,. . . ] This ADC value is used for ECG electrodes measuring medicalgrade electrocardiogram signals 5 Impedance Complex Impedance [Vph1,Vmag1], Used for measuring impedance Sensor sensor values (VCO) [Vph2,Vmag2], change in high frequency [Vph3, Vmag3], electromagnetic field.Purpose is . . . to measure glucose level directly driven by impedancechange of chest skin

In some embodiments, additional functionality and firmware updates canbe made to the electronic device 610 via the network interface 620. Whenthe electronic device 610 is directly connected to a network (e.g., aWiFi network, a cellular network, etc.) or connected to another device(e.g., the mobile device 630, the computer device 640, etc.), theelectronic device 610 can ping a server (e.g., the remote server 650) tocheck for firmware updates. If a firmware update is available on theremote server 650, then the electronic device 610 can download thefirmware update from the remote server 650 (if directly connected to theremote server 650) or can receive the firmware update from the mobiledevice 630 or the computer device 640 (if indirectly connected to theremote server 650). The firmware update can be installed and executed onthe electronic device 610 after an automated reboot of the electronicdevice 610. Firmware updates can be used to enable new functionality,health metrics monitoring, machine learning models, algorithms, securitypatches, or any combination thereof. Although described in the contextof receiving firmware updates, the electronic device 610 can receivedevice settings and configurations in a similar fashion via a server(e.g., the remote server 650).

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a reusable design of theelectronic device where sensors can be swapped in and out usingdifferent PCBs. The industrial design of the electronic devicefacilitates measuring ECG values, impedance values, optical sensorvalues, etc., simultaneously. More sensors are packed into the smallform factor such that its size is comparable to other wearable medicalproducts with only one sensor.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference to one ormore particular implementations, those skilled in the art will recognizethat many changes may be made thereto without departing from the spiritand scope of the present disclosure. Each of these embodiments andimplementations and obvious variations thereof is contemplated asfalling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, which isset forth in the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A smart patch to monitor health metrics of auser, comprising: an adhesive for attaching the smart patch to a skin ofthe user; a cradle coupled to the adhesive and having an opening foraccess to the skin of the user; at least two electrodes attached to theadhesive and capable of electrically coupling to the user; and acomputing device that is selectively removable from the cradle andincluding: a sensor window; a battery; circuitry coupled to the at leasttwo electrodes to measure electrical activity from the skin of the user;and one or more sensors configured to interface with the skin of theuser, through the sensor window and the opening of the cradle, togenerate physiological data associated with the health metrics of theuser.
 2. The smart patch of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensorscomprise a photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor, and when the computingdevice is secured to the cradle, the PPG sensor interfaces with the uservia the sensor window and the opening of the cradle by (i) emittinglight that passes through the sensor window and the opening of thecradle, and (ii) receiving reflected light that passes through thesensor window and the opening of the cradle.
 3. The smart patch of claim1, wherein the sensor window of the housing is made from translucentmaterials including plastic, sapphire crystals, mineral crystals,plexiglass, hesalite crystals, or glass.
 4. The smart patch of claim 1,wherein: the adhesive is configured to secure the at least twoelectrodes to the skin of the user, wherein the at least two electrodesare disposed in the adhesive such that a first end of each of the atleast two electrodes contacts the skin of the user and a second end ofeach of the at least two electrodes interfaces with the computingdevice.
 5. The smart patch of claim 1, wherein the computing devicecomprises at least one memory unit to store physiological dataassociated with the user, the physiological data being captured from theat least two electrodes and the one or more sensors.
 6. The smart patchof claim 1, further comprising: a network interface configured to:communicate with one or more external devices, provide a physicallocation of the smart patch as location data, or both, wherein thenetwork interface supports cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth LowEnergy, GPS, or any combination thereof.
 7. The smart patch of claim 1,wherein the least two electrodes protrude from a top surface of thecradle.
 8. The smart patch of claim 7, wherein the computing devicefurther comprises: a sensor printed circuit board (PCB) including PCBcontacts and configured to electrically connect the PCB contacts to theone or more sensors, one or more metal connecting pads, wherein when thecomputing device is coupled to the cradle, the at least two electrodesprotruding from the surface of the cradle are electrically connected tothe PCB contacts via the one or more metal connecting pads.
 9. The smartpatch of claim 8, wherein: the one or more metal connecting pads areconfigured to facilitate an electrical connection between the PCBcontacts and the at least two electrodes attached to the adhesive. 10.The smart patch of claim 8, wherein the computing device furthercomprises: a main PCB; and a mechanical holder configured to secure thebattery such that the battery is sandwiched between the sensor PCB andthe main PCB.
 11. The smart patch of claim 10, further comprising: aflexible PCB connector configured to electrically connect the main PCBto the sensor PCB.
 12. The smart patch of claim 1, wherein the computingdevice is removably coupled to the cradle via a pressure fit between thecomputing device and the cradle, a latch between the computing deviceand the cradle, or a fastener between the computing device and thecradle.
 13. The smart patch of claim 1, wherein the computing device iswaterproof, the adhesive is waterproof, the at least two electrodes arewaterproof, or any combination thereof.
 14. The smart patch of claim 1,wherein the generated physiological data includes a glucose level of theuser, a blood pressure of the user, a blood oxygen level of the user, aheart rate of the user, an electrocardiogram (ECG) waveform of the user,a level of skin moisture of the user, a temperature of the user, anactivity level of the user, a body position of the user, an image of askin of the user, a thermal image of the skin of the user, or anycombination thereof.
 15. The smart patch of claim 1, wherein thecomputing device is configured to removably couple to a charging stationsuch that when the computing device is coupled to the charging station,the computing device is not coupled to the cradle.
 16. The smart patchof claim 15, wherein the computing device further includes one or morecharging ports configured to removably couple to the charging station,the one or more charging ports configured to facilitate charging of thebattery by the charging station.
 17. The smart patch of claim 15,wherein the battery is wirelessly charged by the charging station whenthe computing device is coupled to the charging station.
 18. The smartpatch of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors include a temperaturesensor, a pulse oximeter, optical array sensors, an impedancemeasurement unit, an impedance spectroscopy measurement unit, a radarsensor, inertial measurement unit (IMU), an accelerometer, a gyroscope,a magnetometer or a combination thereof.
 19. The smart patch of claim 1,wherein the at least two electrodes include electrocardiogram (ECG)electrodes.
 20. The smart patch of claim 1, wherein the computing devicefurther comprises: a near field communication (NFC) module configured tobe communicatively coupled to a second NFC module of at least oneelectronic device; and a wireless interface configured to communicatewith the electronic device via the established wireless link.